Hanger for folding doors



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC \VILLIAM S. ROOF, OF FRANKLIN, OHIO.

HANGER FOR FOLDING DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,937, dated October 20, 1896. Application filed A ril 19, 1894;. Serial No. 508,126. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. Room a citizen of the United States. residing at Franklin, in the county of Warren and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hangers for Folding Doors, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide hangers and supports for folding doors which will supportaseries of doors hinged together on vertical lines and will allow them to fold one upon the other within the door-space at right angles to their plane of extension.

Another object of my invention is to provide suitable bottom guides which will brace and hold the bottom of the series of doors in the proper vertical planes.

The features of my invention will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the series of doors, showing my improvement in position for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse view, partly in section, of a door and hanger. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the hanger. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the bottom guide.

A represents one of the door-jambs,to which one of the series of doors C6 is hinged.

13 represents the floor.

0 represents a tramway or guide-channel centrally under the lintel D.

E represents a door-hanger, which consists of a frame formed of the side piece 1 and crosspieces 2 3 and which carries on one side the axis H of one pair of rollers F F and on the other side the axis H of another similar pair of rollers, one of which is shown at G, Fig. 3.

I represents an inverted-U-shaped bracket or yoke, one arm of which is rigidly attached to the lintel D, and within which, on opposite sides, are securely attached the tracks 4 5, upon which the rollers travel. These tracks are formed of broad flat pieces of steel having their upper edges rounded to conform to the tread of the rollers.

K represents the swivel suspension-spindle.

L represents the base of the swivel-bearing, which is secured to the frame-piece 1.

The top of the spindle K is screw-threaded, and the base Lis pierced with an orifice sufficiently large to allow the spindle to turn freely therein.

or represents balls which form the swivelbearing. They are sustained by the groove in the base L and asimilar groove in the bottom of nut M, which is screwed to the spindle K.

N represents a set-nut for preventing the spindle from unscrewing.

0 represents a stud attached to the bottom of the door. P represents a guide-roller journaled upon said stud and traveling in a groove or channel 0, but without contact with the bottom thereof.

The doors are hung or mounted in the following manner: a represents a narrow door one-half the width of the second door I) and hinged thereto. The suspension-spindle K does not reach quite to the top of the door, but just above the door it is connected to a yoke S, the downwardly-extending limbs s s of which embrace the two sides of the door Z7 at the top and center thereof and are securely attached thereto. The upper end of the stud O is connected to a yoke similar to S and is attached to the bottom of the door in such position that the axis of the stud is coincident with the axis of the spindle K. The door being suspended from the top, its Weight effectually prevents any warping and the guide-roller maintains its verticality when in motion, either opening or closing. As the spindle K swivels in the hanger the door I) will turn on its top and bottom supports, one of the vertical edges of the door moving outward from the lintel and the opposite edge moving in the opposite direction, so that the doors will fold across the door-space. The door a is only one-half of the width of the door I), so that it will move outward entirely on one side of the door-space, while the next door will extend an equal distance on both sides of the space.

Any number of series of doors may be provided, as shown in Fig. 1, and a suitable number of hangers must be supplied at intervals to additional doors of the series, and additional bottom supports must be employed to guide and hold the series at the bottom in the proper planes. Q

If it is desired that the door I) shall fpld against the door CL, so as to occupy but little space, it is essential to have the first door of the series only one-half the width of the second door. I employ two pairs of rollers to each hanger, as the hanger supports the door more firmly than if a single pair were employed. It is necessary that the spindle K be adjusted vertically, so as to bring the top of the door just below the lintel, and in case of sagging or shrinkage the door can be adjusted vertically by slacking the nut N and then tn rning the nut M to obtain the adjustment. The nut N should then be reset to retain the adjustment.

The bottom guide-roller P is important, as it relieves the hanger from lateral strains and maintains the spindle vertically and allows the door suspended thereby to swivel freely upon said centrally supporting spindles across the door-space, allowing the series of doors to be easily and quickly folded one upon the other against the j ambs in the manner be fore stated.

I Clftllll In a door-hanger, the combination with a U shaped bracket I provided with tracks 4-, 5, of a frame comprising side pieces 1, 1, and cross-pieces 2, 3, the rollers F, F and G, G journaled on said frame and running on said tracks, the swivel-base L carried by the upper end of said frame, the vertically-adjustable spindle K provided at its lower end with a yoke S, s, s, embracing the upper edge of the door and secured thereto, and screw-threaded at its upper end and loosely passing through said swivel-base, a swivel-nut M en gaging the screw-threaded portion of the spindle K, a setnut N screwed over said spindle above the nut M, the adjacent faces of the swivel-base and nut M being provided With corresponding annular grooves, and balls m arranged in said grooves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WM. S. ROOF.

\Vitn esses EDWARD BOYD, CHAS. W. MUNGER. 

